David Bellos is a well-known translator of modern French fiction and the author of several prizewinning biographies of French literary figures. His irreverent study of translation, Is That a Fish in Your Ear? (2011), was a runner-up for the Los Angeles Times book prize and has itself been translated into Korean, Spanish, German, and French. He teaches French and Comparative Literature at Princeton University and holds the rank of Officier in France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
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"Genuinely fresh and inspiring . . . Bellos's book is a major
accomplishment. His warm and engaging study of Victor Hugo's 1862
masterpiece renews faith in the idea, so fundamental to the
mysterious attraction of literature, that great books of whatever
age continue to be worthwhile objects of attention. In applying a
melange of literary criticism, linguistics, political science and
history to the study of one of the best-known, if least-understood
great books of all time, he illuminates the work in a way that
transcends conventional literary criticism." --Michael Lindgren,
The Washington Post
"Intriguing . . . Impeccably researched and pithily written,
Bellos's book provides an important corrective . . . The notion
posited by Bellos's title that Les Misérables is the novel of the
(19th) century is given a thoroughly good airing . . . Bellos's
book also doubles as a fascinating partial biography of Hugo's
life." --Tobias Grey, The New York Times Book Review "Whether
you're contemplating a run at Les Misérables or returning to it,
Bellos' book is a perfect guide--
as well as a compelling story in its own right . . . [It] becomes
surprisingly suspenseful as Bellos takes us through the months
leading up to the novel's publication . . . Bellos has struck the
ideal balance of top-notch research and readable prose in the
chapters that deftly lead us through the world of the novel and its
characters . . . An engaging and enlightening companion." --Liza
Graham, NPR "Bellos's fine book could be seen as part of the recent
critical genre that Joyce Carol Oates baptized the 'bibliomemoir' .
. . But it is not so much about Bellos's personal engagement with
the novel as a study of its genesis, its production, its reception,
and notably its language . . . The story of the composition of the
novel, and of the journey of manuscript, proofs, then corrected
proofs between Guernsey and Brussels, is one of the most
entertaining and illuminating in Bellos's book . . . " --Peter
Brooks, The New York Review of Books "This unique and readable book
conveys the chaotic fabric of French life two centuries ago more
powerfully than most conventional histories." --Foreign Affairs
"Bellos condenses tranches of research into a gripping tale about
Victor Hugo's masterpiece." --Nina Martyris, The Paris Review "If
you're a Les Misérables superfan (yes, we're looking at you) then
we have three words for you: Read. This. Book." --Elizabeth Rowe,
Bookish "Bellos takes us on a freewheeling ride through the
genesis, revision, publication and eternal life of Les Misérables,
with relevant vignettes from Victor Hugo's life and deep dives into
historical and linguistic aspects of the novel . . . Bellos has
indeed written 'the definitive biography of the world's most
popular novel' . . . If you love Hugo's novel and/or Boublil and
Schönberg's musical 'Les Mis, ' read The Novel of the Century."
--
Marva Barnett, The Huffington Post "Captivating . . . The Novel of
the Century perfectly captures all sides of this publishing
phenomenon and the man at its center. Bellos fascinates from
beginning to end." --Steve Donoghue, The Christian Science Monitor
"Never mind those self-help manuals urging that some classic novel
may change your life: in this sparkling study of the birth, growth
and afterlife of Hugo's evergreen blockbuster, The Novel of the
Century, David Bellos argues that Les Misérables already has . . .
With deep learning but a charmingly light touch, Belles dissects
and salutes this 'dramatic page-turner' bursting with 'generous
moral principles.'" --Boyd Tonkin, The Economist "In telling the
engrossing story of the book and its author's journey from staunch
defender of the government to exile in Guernsey after Napoleon
III's 1851 coup d'état, Bellos . . . makes a powerful case for the
novel's enduring relevance." --Lucy Watson, Financial Times "This
biography of one of the world's most read novels is rich in
extraordinary detail . . . Bellos traces the life of the 1,500-page
novel from conception to publication, mentioning along the way the
many film and musical adaptations of Les Misérables that have given
it a rich life beyond the printed page." --Ruth Scurr, The Guardian
"The origin story of Victor Hugo's masterpiece Les Miserables is an
epic tale, and Bellos is the perfect writer to tell it . . . This
book is a joy to read, and Bellos makes a convincing case for his
claim that 'among all the gifts France has given to Hollywood,
Broadway and the common reader wherever she may be, Les Miserables
stands out as the greatest by far.'" --The National Book Review
"There's no question about it: David Bellos makes the case for the
fame of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables (1862). It's the novel of the
century and possibly then some . . . [A] superb biography of a
novel rather than a man." --Charles R. Larson, CounterPunch "The
Novel of the Century . . . vividly traces the origin and
development of Hugo's most famous work, assessing its impact on the
novel as a genre." --Henrik Bering, Los Angeles Review of Books
"Bellos' feat is worthy of admiration . . . whether you're a
serious Francophile or just crave a good read peppered with
cocktail party-ready factoids . . . Bellos has impeccable academic
credentials, but he never talks down to the reader. From manuscript
to musical, The Novel of the Century delivers on its promise."
--
Keith Herrell, BookPage "Bellos's near-unmitigated zeal is
convincing, and itself part of the pleasure of the book; and he's a
knowledgeable, attentive reader, and an engaging storyteller
himself, alert to vivid detail . . . Any reader who hasn't yet
embarked on Hugo's book might be converted to the idea by this
one." --Daniel Hahn, The Spectator "[Bellos is] equipped to tackle
le Léviathan of French literature . . . The Novel of the Century,
for example, reveals a great deal about French coinage and the
intricacies of Victorian authorial contracts. (If this sounds
boring, it isn't.) . . . That section [on cloth-dying] alone is
worth the price of admission . . . Until Hugo returns from the
grave or Les Mis renders up its secrets in the fullness of time,
Bellos' fine volume will do." --Jason Rhode, Paste
"[Bellos is] a crisp stylist capable of seizing the readers'
attention and holding it effortlessly . . . Anyone who loves Hugo,
France, and the French language will revel in this delightful book
that explains all the intimacies of 19th-century French life."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "As Bellos, a translator of
French literature, proves here, the story of how Victor Hugo's
classic novel came to life is a challenging, complex, and utterly
engrossing epic all its own . . . There are tidbits of trivia
sprinkled effervescently throughout (Bellos notes that reluctant
readers may read just one chapter a day--the novel contains 365),
along with serious considerations of Hugo's relationship to the
French language, his moral universe, and his political intentions
for a book that spawned countless spin-offs." --Publishers Weekly
(starred review) "Like its indomitable protagonist, Les Misérables
absorbs abuse and survives. The astonishing story of a story."
--Bryce Christensen, Booklist (starred review) "[Bellos's] book
elevates this great novel to its rightful place in the literary
cannon . . . This delightful narrative about a literary masterpiece
will be particularly intriguing to readers of French literature and
those individuals curious about the true origins of 'Les Mis.'"
--Erica Swenson Danowitz, Library Journal
"David Bellos, whose distinguished career has been dedicated to
propagating appreciation of French fiction in the resistant
Anglophone world, makes a grand claim for Les Misérables. It is,
against (to take other champions) Tolstoy, Dickens, and Melville,
the novel of the nineteenth century. He follows its course from
first stirrings to most recent adaptation. He proves his case."
--John Sutherland, author of Lives of the Novelists and Orwell's
Nose "The Novel of the Century is the best, most instructive book
about Les Misérables ever written--the shrewdest, the most
knowledgeable, the most detailed, the most enthusiastic, and the
most enjoyable." --Paul Berman, author of A Tale of Two Utopias and
Power and the Idealists "It is possible for a book to have
adventures as well as recount them. David Bellos's witty, informed,
but never overloaded work proves the case thoroughly. Here we learn
a great deal about the career of a writer, the turbulent politics
of his times, the composition of a great novel, and the life and
afterlife of the novel itself. And whether the subject is exile,
poverty, suffrage, Hugo's 'split mind' during the 1848 Revolution,
or the complications of the word 'miserable' in English and French,
the sense of adventure never lapses. The recurring, multifaceted
question posed by Les Misérables, as Bellos says, is not whether
good will triumph over evil, but 'how hard it is to be good.'"
--Michael Wood, author of Yeats and Violence and Alfred Hitchcock:
The Man Who Knew Too Much "In this lively and engaging account of
the making of Les Misérables, David Bellos captures the brilliance
not only of Victor Hugo's novel but also of its conception,
execution, and publication. His learned study bristles with
insights on topics great and small--from French history, politics,
and linguistic registers to the meaning of colors, coinage, dates,
and modes of transport in the book to its untranslatable title and
its many adaptations worldwide. The story behind the greatest novel
of the nineteenth century will enchant both popular and scholarly
readers, who will come away with an even deeper understanding of
and appreciation for Hugo's prose masterwork." --Kathryn Grossman,
Pennsylvania State University "In full command of the artistic and
moral complexities of Victor Hugo's masterpiece, as well as of the
social and political conditions in nineteenth-century France, David
Bellos offers the reader a comprehensive view of Hugo's creative
genius and of the historical circumstances of the great novel's
composition. He does so with brio and humor, and in a distinctly
personal voice." --Victor Brombert, author of Victor Hugo and the
Visionary Novel
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